Majesty on High

Majesty on High

The past couple of days we’ve been talking about majesty. BJ described the majestic glory of Jesus and Jon shared the power and majesty of God’s holiness. Today we come to Hebrews 1:3,

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

When I picture Jesus sitting at the right hand of God, as the Majesty on High, I can’t help but think of God as the righteous and perfect judge. Maybe the English words of “your majesty” as a royal title, conjure up thoughts of power and ruling over people. But God is the Majesty on High. The ruler over all the rulers. The most perfect judge. Mind-blowing wisdom.

The past few weeks have been especially heavy for our nation. For our world. What a testimony to our need for the most perfect ruler. The righteous judge with perspective, truth, and love. As we individually play judge and jury to things on this earth, we have a Majesty On High that can judge without bias. God approaches us without fear or prejudice. He doesn’t shy away from deep wounds. He provides a process of repentance and redemption through Jesus.

As I’ve been evaluating and reflecting on my own contributions to the real problem of racism and inequality, I definitely have gaps between my heart and my judgement, compared to the Lord’s perfect ways.  I’m praying for more areas of my life to be brought to light that need cleansing, repentance, and healing. Where do I have callouses? What unfounded opinions and beliefs do I hold? What generational sin am I making my own? When have I been silent where words were needed? When I have I spoken out when my silence was needed? Cleanse me, Lord! I need you, the Majesty on High, to rule in every corner of my heart.

Smoked upon contact

Last week I purchased an electric fly swatter and wow is it effective… Mosquitos are literally smoked upon contact and the “pop” sound is so satisfying! With a rechargeable battery, ~3000 volts of bug-zapping power and a low cost of $11, this device is a must. I am often hoping that some fly or mosquito will enter our home just so I can have the pleasure of destroying it.

I envision God with all his power and the ability to zap anything at any time. Fortunately God is not like me. He is Holy and perfect. I am not. I would zap the bad guys, but then realize I’m a sinner therefore “a bad guy” and deserve to be zapped. God makes perfect choices with the use of his infinite power.

Glorious in power, majestic in holiness

The people of Israel faced an unimaginable situation as they were being chased by Pharaoh and his mighty army. God led them out of slavery but to them it appeared that they would be overtaken. They panicked with fear as it seemed death was imminent.

We all know the story. Through the mighty power of our undefeated God, the sea was parted, the Israelites walked to freedom, and the enemy was destroyed. Awe struck, the people worshipped and praised God in their hearts and through a Song of Deliverance (Exodus 15).

Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,
    your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.

11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
    Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
    awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:6, 11)

The power that parted the sea is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, and is the same power that resurrects and saves us from our sin if we put our faith in Jesus Christ. His holiness sets him apart; in his perfection and infinite wisdom he knows what we need, when we need it. He is glorious in power and majestic in holiness.

Father God, seek my heart, cleanse me from unrighteousness. Forgive me for any lack of faith in you alone. You are with me in each Red Sea, in every trial. You are love. You go before us, you are with us and you will never leave us. I choose you Jesus. Amen.

Majestic Glory

My grandaparents were world travelers.  There was nothing more exciting to them.  They loved the sights and the sounds, the people and probably the cocktails.  Upon their return, they were bursting with excitement.  They couldn’t wait to share all of the amazing things they had done.  So they did.  For a whole night.  With a slide show.  And lots of talking.  Lots, and lots of talking.  That’s right, full descriptions of every picture.  They described who was in it, what it smelled like, how this tasted, how that looked.  You know how it goes.  Problem is, it doesn’t matter how much they talked, they could never relay the full experience.  And, it was worth sharing.  Their excitement was contagious.  I found that when I engaged my heart and my mind, I was able to get a glimpse of how great it was.  In fact, it made me want to know more.

Guess what?  The apostle Peter shares with us his account of experiencing God.  We find the story narrated in Matthew 17:1-6.  Jesus took Peter and two others up a mountain.  Then, “As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.  Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.”  Clearly, this is a unique experience.  I’m betting that Peter was pretty excited to share it.  Wouldn’t you be?  I’ll bet he would have given anything to have a camera.

Of course, Peter did not have a camera.  He could not assemble a slide show and bring it along to share with everyone.  He had only is exuberance and his words.  This is what has me fascinated today.  His eyewitness description of the experience is found in 2 Peter 1:17.  Are you ready for it?  “Majestic Glory.”  That’s it.  Two words.  No flowery description or a nauseating list of adjectives.  Just the simple words Majestic Glory.

My first read through those words was disappointing. “That’s it?” I thought.  How could such an amazing experience be distilled into something so short and simple?  Then, I stopped and tried to consider both of those words.  Majestic.  What does it look like?  How many colors are there?  Does it have a taste and a smell?  When I put my heart and mind into it, I can feel it.  It emits an energy.  So does Glory.  When I focus deeper, I see that it has light and colors.  Its intimidating and inviting.

As your soul soaks into Majestic Glory, remember that you are seeing a picture of Jesus.  A crude one to be sure.  Keep looking and He will make it more clear.

Magnificent

Today’s name of Jesus is “Magnificent“.

Isaiah 28:29 “All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.”

The word magnificent describes something that is extraordinarily beautiful, breathtaking, or awe inspiring.  A sunset, rolling hills, snow covered mountains, breeching whales, waterfalls, and vast oceans. The things that are larger than life and stop me in my tracks. Magnificent is the only way to describe such beauty.

Even more magnificent is the creator of all these things. He remains magnificent and unchanging in the midst of a pandemic and social unrest. He is the source of all that is good and perfect. James 1:17 says “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Even though our circumstances seem to be changing daily, Jesus never changes. He remains steadfast in his plan to save us through his Son Jesus which is the most magnificent plan of all.

Today I take great comfort in the unchanging truth that Jesus is magnificent. His plan to guide and direct our paths is extraordinarily beautiful, breathtaking, and awe inspiring.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the reminder today of your magnificence in the midst of our current times. We trust that your plan is wonderful and your wisdom is magnificent. Reveal to us your wisdom as we move through today and tomorrow. Replace our fear with hope, knowing that you are fully aware of all that is happening and none of it surprises you. When we see the world around us in all of its beauty help us to remember the magnificent creator. We are in awe and wonder and who you are. Thank you for loving us enough to save us.  In Jesus name, Amen.

 

 

 

Lover

What was the first bible verse you memorized? For me, it wasn’t the shortest verse Jesus wept. (John 11:35) This verse was later in life. I remember Sunday school where I was so proud to learn my first verse. It was our verse today we will use to focus on the attribute of God as a lover.

 For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that whosoever believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

God is love. He created us; He gives us everything, Our Lord has a place already waiting for us on a day and time He already knows. God was a lover of us when deciding to create us in His image. He is a lover of us, even in our sinful state.  So much love that He sent His own Son to come to Earth to live His perfect life, then for the sins of the world He was sacrificed for us. Only someone who loves us. 

Look back at the ways Lynden talked about the Love that drives out fear. There is much anxiety around the many events that are going on around the world. Love can drive out that fear. Life is not easy right now, and the enemy whispers lies that can easily distract us from the truth. Hold fast! We have a God who loves us. In times like this, we need to fix our eyes on the cross. Jesus gave his life so we can live eternally with Him. Jesus is a lover of all human races, and his love for us all is evident on the cross. This love is indescribable, unshakable, immeasurable, and available to us all. 

 

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Dear God,

You provide everything we need. We need your help. You know our pain, you know the fears, and you hold them in your hand.  Lord, you provide the help we need and you cancel all fears when we put our trust in You.  We love you and desire to know you more.  We believe that you are love! Amen

 

Love

Today’s Reading : I John 4:8

Fear.  It is one of the oldest emotions that we have.  Fear is the absence of knowledge or a state of ignorance and the unknown.  Fear leads to confusion.  Fear leads to anxiety.  Fear leads to isolation. Fear leads to mistrust.  Fear leads to desperation.  Fear is a basic emotion, but it has to be taught.  The beginning of fear can be trace back to the beginning of existence in the garden.

Genesis 3: 7- 10

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool[c] of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LordGod among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”[d] 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 

 

Fear was created during the separation of us from God.  Fear allowed our minds to search and create abstract meanings for the unknown.  It replaced the knowledge and peace that God had given us during creation.  It replaced our connection with God.

But there is a remedy for Fear, and it is Love.  Love was the creating force that God used to create us in His image.  Love was and is in the fundamental foundation of everyone. It is something that cannot be erased or changed.

If we reflect on Love, it is the first emotion that many of us feel at our birth.  When we enter into this world we are surrounded by love and caring.  It is the sense of belonging and the knowledge that we will be safe.  This innocence is truly a gift that if nurtured will blossom into excellence.  Unfortunately, life will introduce fear that can be both useful and detrimental.  Fear can be useful to give children caution from harming themselves or others.  But if the fear is not tampered with love and caring, it will create destructive and more harmful repercussions.

I John 4: 7-12

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

The love that God has for us is unconditional and never-ending.  This is a hard concept for us to comprehend because the only love that we can tangibly witness is that from each other. No matter how hard we attempt to give the best love to each other, we will fail every time.  It is only when we can become aligned with God that we are able to love more and without reciprocations.  Loving each other is something that we have to be intentional and consistent.  This has to be done on a daily basis as explained by David in

Psalms 51: 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right[b] spirit within me.

One of the best examples of how Love can cancel out fear is found in our interactions with our children. On many nights since the kids were babies, there is at least one night per week that the kids will wake in the middle of the night and come to our room.  The child will tell me that something is in the room or they heard something.  I will take them in my arms or by the hand and take them back to bed.  Then I will ask them what is the thing that has cause them to be afraid.  The will tell me and I will acknowledge their fear and then I will search for the offending agent.  Sometimes it is a toy that has been left on and is making a sound.  Sometimes it is clothes or an object that is on the dresser that cast a shadow on the wall.  Sometimes it is a tree scraping the window or outside wall.  No matter what it is I will comfort them and then let show them what it is that cause this increase anxiety.  They will then proceed to return to rest and fall asleep.

This is how God works with us when we are aligned with him.  This alignment comes from regular communication with Him and acknowledging his presence in our lives and purpose for our lives.  One of the main weapons that the Adversary has is Fear.  Then the adversary wants us to attempt to banish fear and not acknowledge it.  But when we attempt to diminish the true effects that fear has on us, it actually grows when left unchecked.  When fear remains uncontrolled or hidden, when it is revealed it can be unrelenting and completely detrimental.

  • We have to allow God to Love us and then we have to Love ourselves.
  • We have to allow God to be our Father and comfort us in the midst of the Fear.
  • We have to allow Him to reveal with Love the uncertainty and unknown that Fear attempts to give.
  • Once the Fear is acknowledged and shown for its true nature, we have to rely on God to keep us safe and know that we are Loved.

May God give us Love. May we Love ourselves.  May we show Love to each other.  The only thing that conquers Fear is Love.  Be Blessed.

Lord of Lords

My daughter has asked me the same question many times in the last couple months,  “Mom, since I will be 18 soon, can I get a tattoo?”.  We have discussed all aspects of getting a tattoo.  I don’t have one myself, but I am not opposed to her getting one.  We have talked about how a tattoo might “define” you to some people.  Some people may make judgments about you because of what your tattoo says or how it looks.  I certainly have not changed her mind about her desire to get a tattoo, so we shall see in about 3 months what she decides to do with her body.  

Today we will look at a verse that some say might suggest that Jesus had a tattoo.

On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Revelation 19:16

So?  If Jesus had a name written on his thigh, does that mean he had a tattoo?  Some people conclude from reading the verse above that Jesus must have had a tattoo on his thigh.  But, because Jesus was a Jew and Jewish Law warned not to put tattoo marks on yourself (Leviticus 19:28), Jesus probably did not put a mark on himself.

So, what does it mean that on Jesus’ robe and on His thigh He has “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” written?  The book of Revelation is filled with symbolism, and this description is most likely symbolic.  The mention of the name being written on Jesus’ thigh is probably figurative.  The mention of the name being written on His robe and His thigh could very well mean that the words were not on His skin at all, rather, they were written on the part of His robe that covered His thigh.

In any case, it does not seem that Jesus had an actual tattoo.  The best way to find out and confirm the truth of the matter is to declare Jesus as Lord of your life and be with Jesus when He returns to earth.

But if the title Lord of lords is so important, what does it mean?  The idea of Jesus being King of kings and Lord of lords means that there is no higher authority.  His reign over all things is absolute.  God raised Him from the dead and placed Him over all things.

21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1:21-23

In the end, all other rulers will be conquered or abolished, and He alone will reign supreme as King of kings and Lord of lords of all the earth.  There is no power, no king, and no lord who can oppose Him and win.  

We have the choice to follow Him and make Him our Lord of lords.  If we make the choice we will indeed be a witness one day to see first-hand the answer of Jesus and His tattoo. 

Lord Most High

“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” – Psalm 7:17

In reading David’s song to the Lord in Psalm 7, I am struck by the impartiality of David towards his own position in the Lord’s eyes. Spurned by the words of Cush the Benjaminite (an associate of Saul’s – judging by 1 Samuel and this Psalm, they were not kind words), David pleads for refuge in the Lord’s power, but not for his own benefit. Rather, he knows God punishes the wicked – as David himself says in this chapter, “if there is wrong in my hands… let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground.” David understands the Lord alone can prescribe who is right and who has done wrong, and in this knowledge finds the key for subservience and submission to a righteous Lord. Even amidst his own sin, and owning up to the consequences of it, David shows a keen enlightenment of sorts that the Lord’s judgement wholly deserves precedence over his own well-being. And in seeing this, David knows only when he wholly devotes himself to his master’s word can he do what is right.

This is a lesson we can all learn, but wow is it difficult to apply in practice. As flawed people, we can be quick to both pass judgement on others, and question their passing of judgement. All while ignoring our own wrongs! It’s so easy and so commonplace to overlook our own transgressions and get wrapped up in who is right and wrong, who has done good and who hasn’t; these concepts are so fickle by shifting human standards. Only in the Lord Most High, the one who wields true righteousness like a sword, who radiates ultimate authority over all men, good and evil, can truly know who has done right and who has not. And the truth is that none of us has done right by every one of God’s words.

Thankfully though, all who believe are not judged on their own accord. We know through our sanctification, bought through the blood of Jesus Christ who died on our behalf, we are made upright in heart. And as David says in verse 10 of this chapter: “My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.” Through profession of faith and expressing this faith through living lives according to His command, our Lord protects our faithful hearts from those who would do them harm. In this we can rest assured, and sing praise to the Lord whose victory is guaranteed. Greater than any evil and more powerful than anything of this world is the Lord Most High.

This passage has moved me this week to pray that God would help me remove judgement from my own heart, for I know if I were to be judged by Him as I were, I’d be struck down on the spot. Instead, I’ve prayed for a heart of forgiveness and humility; for I know only God resides over righteous judgement, and instead of judging others, I can embody 1 Peter 4:8: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” I’ve especially asked for the conviction to see my own sin as David sees his, take accountability for the consequences of it, and to surrender it to God so that I may better reflect how He is my master and Lord. In all these things, I pray for strength for you as well. For only He establishes the righteous and delivers them, only He can rule righteously, and only He is Lord Most High over all.

Lord

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:11

Today’s word to describe Jesus is Lord which is defined as ruler or master. Would you say Jesus is your ruler or master? If you asked me this question, I would be quick to answer yes. However, when I really sit back and reflect, unfortunately, He is the Lord of my life some of the time and in some things, but I have to admit He is not all of the time and in all things. He’s the Lord of my Sunday mornings when there is church, and He is the Lord of my Thursday nights when we have our scheduled weekly small group. But, everything in between…again..some of the time when I think to consult Him and to make Him a part of some aspects of my life.

It is often easier to go to Him as your Lord when you have nowhere else to turn or you know you have no control anyway. Last year, we were faced with some major decisions in how to treat spinal stenosis in my neck which had already caused me to lose strength and functionality in my right hand and threatened my ability to walk long-term without surgery. I learned one big thing, when it comes to certain things like your health, we are often times forced to make Him Lord and give Him control because there is literally nothing we can personally do to fix it. Looking back, this probably should have been much more stressful with questions like do I have surgery or try another route first, which type of surgery when there are multiple options, which doctor do I trust, will my symptoms get worse and will I lose my ability to use my hand or even walk, and will I need more surgeries in the future? However, we leaned on Him and prayed not only for healing, but for wisdom, guidance, and clarity to make the best decisions. He gave us peace through it all, and not only did He provide an unexpected surgery option different than what Mayo and other doctors were performing for my conditions, but He made it clear this was the route to go. At the same time, we were faced with a major decision on whether to change my role within my career at Northwestern Mutual. Again, we made Him Lord and prayed through these decisions and the direction was clear without much stress or anxiety. Out of necessity, I learned how He can make major things not seem as big and stressful when we make Him Lord.

Then, why do I get stressed about a little thing at 2:00 on a Tuesday or wondering if my to-do list will get done or when our kids are acting up? Simple…I am not making him Lord of the small, everyday things..only the big things. My opportunity for growth in my relationship with Him is to make Him Lord of these little things. Not making Him Lord of these things robs me from gratitude for all He’s given me and the joy of everyday life with my family, friends, and in my career.

Why do we do this? Some may wonder if He even cares about the little things. Why would the God who created the sun, moon, stars, and the universe really care about my little problems? Simple..He created us. For us who are parents, think how much we care about our kids’ problems. We would do anything to help..to a fault sometimes. Think about our kids when they create a Lego or block tower. They are so proud of their creation. And in turn, they are very protective of it and get really upset when their younger sibling wrecks it. Why? Because they created it. The creator cares immensely about their creation. Each one of us are His special creation as Psalm 139:13-14 tells us.

Why else don’t we make Him Lord of the little things in our life? We don’t think we need it, and we think we can handle it on our own. But…it’s obvious we can’t or we would not get so stressed and upset about the small stuff. Many suffer from anxiety about things that are relatively minor in the big picture of life on this Earth and especially in the big picture of eternity.

How can we improve at making Him Lord of our life, and especially the little things where many of us need the most improvement? There are many ways such as reading His Word daily, attending church regularly, and joining a small group. However, I believe what all of these things really do is help us develop an awareness of His presence in our life which leads to a relationship with Him through the conduit of prayer. As a decoration in my parents’ house reads, “Prayer is the ultimate wireless connection.” This is how in the big moments and the small ones in life we offload our problems to Him and ask for His help. We realize we may not have this, but He’s got this and He’s got us. As a recent article in The Wall Street Journal my brother sent our family on the power of prayer stated, connecting with Him in prayer is like heading up a huge mountain with a heavy backpack and then handing it off to Him. Believe it or not, He wants us to. He asks us to. We are his creation, and He as our creator wants our hearts and for us to acknowledge that He is Lord and give everything to Him.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

Please pray with me…

God…please help me make you the Lord and ruler of my life. Help me to know that you, as my Creator, truly care about and are in control of not only the big things, but also the little things that will come up in my day today and every day. I thank you for this and for showing me your ultimate love by sacrificing your only Son on the cross for me. I love you. Amen.

Living Water

John 7:38

I made a mistake! I underlined the wrong passage to write on today as I was highlighting my assignments for this month. Jacob wrote on this passage yesterday and explained beautifully our necessity for Living Water. As I was preparing this week for this post, the Spirit lead me in a different direction from what Jacob covered. Since I discovered my mistake too late in the day to rewrite, I present “Living Water” take two…

 

As I think about God and try to describe His three persons, I have an easier time knowing and listing functions of Jesus and God than I do the Holy Spirit. As I pray and think, I give God credit for creation and being the Sovereign Father, Leader and Protector of people, especially in the Old Testament. Jesus is my Savior. He came to earth as a human, lived like we live and then gave His life on the cross to pay the price for my sin. The Holy Spirit seems more mysterious and maybe has less tangible traits than Jesus or God. Today the character trait of God’s we are looking at is “Living Water” and in our verse, Jesus tells us He is speaking of the Holy Spirit when He says Living Water. So I thought today we should look at some of the functions of the Spirit written about in the Bible so we can more easily recognize Him and His work in our lives.

 

John 14:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit teaches us and helps us remember the things we have already learned about God. He is our helper and counselor as we are trying to learn Gods ways and put them into practice in our daily lives.

John 16:7-8 say that the Spirit convicts the world of sin. He is the One who “speaks” in our minds to let us know when we are thinking wrongly about an issue or making a self-serving choice. He is the One who points to righteousness so we know what is right and wrong.

1 Cor 3:16 tells us that God’s Spirit dwells in us. This verse is maybe where some of that “mystery” comes in. It is very hard to explain this “dwelling” unless you have experienced it yourself. I can confidently attest to the fact that I notice His dwelling in me more when I am watching for it and listening for His voice. When I am not seeking Him, He seems much more quiet.

1 Cor 2:10-11 says that the Spirit is a source of wisdom in our lives. Because He dwells in us and He is God’s Spirit, He knows the thoughts of God and reveals those thoughts to us when we believe in Him.

Acts 1:8 says that “we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us”. In Eph 1:17-20 Paul explains the Spirit’s power more clearly by telling us that the power we receive from Him is the same as the mighty strength He used to raise Jesus from the dead and seated Him at the right hand of the Father in heaven. This is a very tangible explanation of the Spirit’s power!

John 16:13 proclaims that the Holy Spirit is the called the “Spirit of Truth”. “When the Spirit comes, He will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on His own but will He will only speak what He hears. He will glorify Me (Jesus) because it is from Me (Jesus) that He will receive what He will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine (Jesus), which is why I (Jesus) said that the Spirit will receive from Me what He will make known to you.

1 Cor 12:7-11 lets us know that our spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit. We are all given wisdom, knowledge and power and then verses 9 and 10 give more specific gifts that the Spirit gifts to people. Verse 11 says that “The Spirit alone decides which gift each person should have”.

A few weeks ago we looked at Rom 8:26-27, explaining that the Spirit is our intercessor. You can look back at Apr 29 if you want to read over that again.

Eph 1:13 lets us know that the Holy Spirit is a seal in our lives. The term “seal” may not be very familiar to us, but as we look more closely it is actually a beautiful promise that I would like to close with this morning. The Holy Spirit is our mark/seal of adoption as God’s children. “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him.”

 

After looking at all of these verses and their meanings, the term “Three in One” (that we hear so often describing God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit), seems to make much more sense. I was struck as I thought through these verses how perfectly each One of the Three has specific functions, but that they all work from the same truth and knowledge. They all work together to the same end. My mind will never comprehend this relationship or personhood fully, and I’ll never have words to articulate God while on this earth, but reading God’s word and thinking through His word pictures helps me understand a little bit more than I did before I started this morning. Thank you Holy Spirit for dwelling in me, teaching me, convicting me, giving me wisdom, giving me power, being perfect truth in my life, being my intercessor, and for marking me with Your seal as one of God’s children!